FLINT, MI--Back To The Bricks is closing fast on the horizon and starting on Monday, Genesee County areas will host Tune Up Party Week events to build momentum with area car enthusiasts.

Tune Up Party Week, which runs from Monday, Aug. 4 through Saturday, Aug. 9, is the final collection of events before Back To The Bricks officially begins on Tuesday, Aug. 12.

In June of every year, a Back To The Bricks tour takes car owners around the state to promote the show to other auto enthusiasts in various host cities. This year was also the first to host franchised Back To The Bricks events in Cadillac and Mount Pleasant.

Roberta Vasilow, chair of Back To The Bricks and incumbent chair of Tune Up Party Week, said that each area begins planning for the events as soon as September, a month after the parties and Back To The Bricks officially end. Participating areas have a wrap up party, revisit the successes and failures, and retool.

"We see what we've got to change, work through all that, meet again in the spring, and then we get ready to promote it," Vasilow said.

Tune Up Party Week is the final collection of events before Back To The Bricks officially begins on Tuesday, Aug. 12.

The series began with an impromptu event in 2010, the Friday before that year's Back To The Bricks began. Communities in Genesee County saw the involvement that cities around the state had in the Bricks tour, and they wanted to be just as involved back home.

This year's Tune Up Party Week begins on Monday, Aug. 4 at Genesee Valley Center in Flint Township with concessions, a DJ, giveaways and more from 2 p.m. till 4:30 p.m. The party moves to Dukes Car Stereo on Miller Road from 5 p.m. till 8 p.m.

On Tuesday, participants can ride around the Auto City Speedway track from 2 p.m. till 4 p.m. and pick up their shirt tickets before making pit stops at Simms Chevrolet, Randy Wise Chrysler, and Twins Pizza. From there, Clio Square Plaza will host a party with music and food from 4 p.m. till 8 p.m. Shirts will be given away at 6:30 p.m., and Clio Amphitheater will host a live performance at 7 p.m.

Linden will host a Tune Up Party on Wednesday, Aug. 6. The party will start at 2:30 p.m. at Linden Elementary School, located at 400 Bridge St., where attendees can pick up their t-shirt tickets. Sloan's Sales and Service and Loose Senior Center will host pit stops. Downtown Linden will host festivities from Broad Street to East Street and the Farmers' Market from 4 p.m. till 8 p.m.; a DJ will play music from 4 p.m. till 6:30 p.m., and Motor City Beat will perform at a concert in the park from 6:30 p.m. till 8 p.m.

Thursday's festivities in Fenton will begin at 2:30 p.m. at Andrew G. Schmidt Middle School, located at 3255 Donaldson Drive, Fenton. After picking up shirt tickets there, participants can make pit stops at Vicinia Gardens off Jennings Road and Vic Canever Chevrolet on Owen Road from 2:30 p.m. till 4 p.m. Downtown Fenton, from S. Leroy Street to Silver Lake Road in front of Fenton Community & Cultural Center and Farmers' Market, from 4 p.m. till 8 p.m. A DJ will play music from 4 p.m. till 6:30 p.m., and Soul'd Out will perform from 6:30 p.m. till 8 p.m.

On Friday, Aug. 8, Davison will host a Tune Up Party starting at 3 p.m. at Graff Chevrolet on M-15, where participants can pick up their shirt tickets between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. John's Pizzeria and VG's on Davison Road will host a DJ and food starting at 4 p.m.

Back To The Bricks Tune Up Party Week ends on Saturday, Aug. 9 in Mount Morris. The Dancing In The Streets Car show is from 11 a.m. till 11 p.m. downtown, with a DJ playing music from 11 a.m. till 7 p.m. and a band beginning at 7 p.m. The day will include food, games, door prizes, trophies and dash plaques.

Shirts will be given away on each day at 7:30 p.m., except for Tuesday in Clio, when they're given away at 6:30 p.m.

Last year, Bricks organizers estimated 3,000 to 4,000 attendees during Tune Up Week. T-shirts were given to 1,250 cars, and along with the participating car owners, enthusiasts and residents come out to see the vehicles and socialize.

The extra traffic means big days for local businesses.

"A lot of the host sites have told us that they're their best days of the year. That's why we keep doing them," Vasilow said. "They get customers, and everybody gets to have a good time, and it's something different to do before the big show."

Bill Persi, manager at John's Pizza in Davison, can attest. Vasilow said the Davison Tune Up Party is the largest since it's on Friday, and John's benefits off of that. Persi said that the restaurant has been involved with the Tune Up Parties every year since they started. In 2013, their already busy Friday traffic was at least doubled through traffic from the Tune Up party.

"Our regular Friday nights are pretty busy, we fill up pretty regularly. On these parties, though, we have a line out the door. It's kind of unbelievable," he said. "...It brings a lot of people from different communities who might not make it here otherwise. It's good for everybody."

Persi said the "everybody works" on Tune Up Party day, with shifts that start earlier and an extra banquet room with a buffet to help with the overflow of customers. Other employees help with parking and sell slices of pizza in the lot. This year, that will all continue, with a 50/50 fundraiser for Outreach East, and a buffet with pepperoni pizza, mostacholi and garden salad.

Kristen Cassabon, marketing manager at the Genesee Valley Center, said the Tune Up Party brings a couple hundred vehicles to the mall every year before attendees and participants flock to Dukes Car Stereo for the party that afternoon and evening.

"Typically, if it's a couple, the women will go into the mall to shop and the men will stay out and socialize," she laughed. "So everybody wins."

Persi is hopeful for all participating businesses to benefit from the Tune Up Party Week.

"Hopefully, everybody gets a little extra business and extra exposure from the cruise coming through here," he said.